Ceramic distributor for radiant gas burners



y Feb. 161'954 Ai E- BLAHA l 2,669,300 Y i CERAMIC; DISTRIBUTOR FOR RAD'I'ANT GAs BuRNERs V` File'fd March 11 195o INVENTOR. EMIL BLAHA I ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 16, 1954 `GERARDO :DISTRIBUTOR: FOR RADIAN-T -G-AS .BURNERS` Emil Blaha,

Corporation of Cheltenham, Pai, assignor to Selas America,

Philadelphia,- lvPa., a

"corporationfof :Pennsylvania .Application March. 11, 1950, Serial-No.

Cl'aimS. (Cl. 158-116) The present 'invention rel'ates'to gas burners, and more particularly to distributors used with radiant cup type gas burners.

The .distributor of the present invention .is particularly adapted to be used with radiant cup burners of the type .describedand illustrated lin Hess Patent 2,215,079 granted on September 17, 1940, although it can be used with other types of burners. The distributors illustrated in the above-mentioned patent are relatively Icomplicated ceramic moldingsof one piece construction. VThose distributors are characterized by a headportion having a threaded stem projecting from one side Ithereof. A 4plurality of slots are formed in the .sides of the stem,

to manufacture because .the threads ontl'ie stem` are yinterrupted at av number of, pointsby the slots passing up ltheside thereof.. Furthermore, the capacity of a given size burner, or'the volume of combustible mixture that can be supplied through the slots, islimited bythe Width o'f'the.

slots.. The slots cannot be made `very Wide vsince they reduce the, effective vlength -o'f the.'threads that `are used to hold the distributor in place. Another diiiiculty with distributors, ot v.theftype mentioned is that small pieces of ceramic may become lodged in 4thefslots to .clog up. .thelsame animalie insertion andLremoval'.of'thedistribm torsdilcult.

The distributor of the.present..invention o.v,er. comes the `tlrzwvbacks. of. the. GiStributOrspreViously used. in 4several.respects.v The ,present dis.- triblitor comprises 'tv/o. depending upon itscapacity Tand' size. construction disclosed so` Iformed that 'the `threads"on"`tiie .stem :are continuous. 'Ports "through which "thetfuel' mixture flows are locatedwithinthe stem, 'and are of an area larger `.than can sluts; so `that'the4 capacity 'of th'effburner' is 'increased..

In 'the of 'the'l linvention capacity for a given size. It is a furtherrobject' ofthe'inventiento provide-'a gasburnerdistributowwhichiiseasilyinserted andfremoved-fromithe-- burner;

or `.more `assem'bledparts,A

herein 'the .distributorjis vbe "obtained 'by the'use of to jprovide` 'a dis'tributorfor u'seiin gas'rburnersthathasj-alargei by inexperlenced or unskilled labor, whereas present manufacture. requires men.

drawings and .descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

Referring tothe drawing- Figure '1 shows a view in section of an assembled burner;

Figure 2 is an enlarged View of a distributor for use in the burner;

yFigure 3 is a View ure 2;

Figure 4'is a of'distributor Figure 5 is a'view of'another modified form of the distributor;`

Figure 6'is a viewtaken on line 6-6 Vof Figure y5; and

Figure? lis a View invention.

Burners of thetype'with Which the present intaken on line 3-3 ofFigsectionall view of a modied form offa still further form of the The block 2| thereof formed of pasted into a single unitary structure by a suitable molding operation to provide block 2l which is rectangular in cross-section.

Block 2i is formed with a central passage 23 which extends therethrough and terminates at cup-shaped space 2t formed at the inner face of the side wall il. Within the passage 23 is disposed a burner tube or sleeve 2li having the inner end thereof terminating at a region closely adjacent to the inner end of the passage 23. The outer portion of tube 2f is formed with an outwardly extending shoulder 2.6 which nts snugly against a collar El. The collar ill' may be a preformed and pre-fired body of porcelain which is thereafter united to the block 2l at the same time that the different portions of a bloei: are united together by a firing operation. In order to position tube 25 accurately in the passage 23, the surface of the collar 2l engaged by the shoulder 26 may be ground after the block 2i is formed. The shoulder 2E of tube d5 is positioned in an enlarged opening or well 28 extending from the outer end of passage 23 to the outer face of the side wall ii. Within the outer end of burner tube 25 is secured the inner end of a metal tube i155, as by cement, for example.

The outer end of metal tube is secured to the inner end of a short length of flexible tubing 3Q which is fastened at its opposite end to the inner end of an internally threaded opening 3i formed in a hollow cover plate 32. With-- in the hollow cover plate 32 is provided a helical coil spring 53 which is arranged to exert force against the outer end Bil of shoulder 2t. ln this way the shoulder 2t will always snugly press against the collar 2l irrespective of the relative expansion of the diiferent burner parts over` the wide temperature range encountered during operation. The cover plate 52 is sufficiently large to close the enlarged opening or well 28 and is secured at 35 to an outer metallic shell of the furnace wall Si.

A suitable combustible mixture is delivered from a source of supply through conduit 3l connected to the interi'ially threaded opening 3l of the burner. The conduit 3l for supplying combustible gas mixture to the burner may be arranged in any desirable manner, and suitable controls may be provided to adjust the pressure and the rate at which the combustible gas mixture is supplied to the burner. The combustible gas mixture passes through the short length of flexible tubing Sil and metal tube 2Q 4into the burner tube 25.

The inner end of tube 2li is threaded to re ceive a distributor which serves the purpose of breaking up the stil, i of combustible fuel mix ture supplied to the tube into a plurality of small jets or naines so that the fuel will be burned. in a plurality of jets along the surface or" the cup. The distributor is shown in place the burner in `Figure i and on a larger scale in 'Figures 2 and 3. The distributor is made of a ceramic material and comprises a cylindrical head that has a cylindrical stem 39 extending from one face thereof. The lower has a number of fins #ll extending larly thereto and in a substantially radial direction. These fins form between them a plurality of slots 42 through which the combustible mixture is discharged into the cup. As is best shown in Figure 2, the 'fins extend inwardly from the outer surface of the head to a point spaced from the stem 3Q. The space between the inner edges of the fins and the surface of the stem forms an perpendicusurface of the head annular passage or channel i3 that is in comn munication with each of the slots. lt will be seen that the top and bottom edges of the fins are not perpendicular to the axis of head 38 and stem 3?, but are at such an angle thereto that they extend substantially parallel to the surface of cup 24 of the burner block.

The stem Sil receives a cylindrical member lli that is located thereon by engagement between the upper surface of this member and a shoulder i5 formed on the stem. As best shown in the drawings, the lower end of the stem is of a reduced diameter so that a plurality of axial passages 46 formed in the cylindrical member terminato in axial alignment with the channel t3. The upper surface of the member lf3 is dished so that it engages the lower surface of the fins. Member i4 is provided on its outer periphery with threads lll that are adapted to engage similar threads formed on the inner surface of tube 25.

Each of the parts 38 and of tor member is made of some suitable refractory material such as a rnullite composition that is fine grained and capable of withstanding the temperature and the temperature changes that are encountered in the base of the cup The parts of the distributor are formed of ceramic moldings which can be assembled in various fashions. The head and stem, for example, are formed in accordance with conventional ceramic practice by the use of a suitably shaped die. The piece is then permitted to dry to increase its green strength prior to firing. Cylindrical member i4 is formed in the same manner.

As noted above, the parts 38 and fill can be assembled in various fashions. These parts can be separately fired and joined together by a suitable cement. The parts may also be shaped and permitted to dry, then cemented together before being fired. 1n the latter event, there is a substantially one-piece instead of a two-piece construction. Another manner of making the distributor is to permit the head to dry for a short period of time during which a slight shrinkage will take place. Cylindrical member d4 can then be molded with its central opening exactly the same diameter as the stem 3d. This part can then be placed on the stem so that as it dries it will shrink into engagement with the stem. Thereafter, when the parts are fired together they form, in effect, a single ceramic piece.

In the operation of the burner a combustible mixture is supplied under suitable pressure through the tube 25 toward the burner cup. This mixture passes through the axial passages 4t of member 44 and into channel 43 formed in the head portion of the distributor. The mixture then passes through the slots 42 into the cup where it is burned in a plurality of names. Normally the inclination of the slots 42 will be such that as Lthe mixture burns the outer surface of the flame, which is the hottest part thereof, will sweep along the surface of the cup to heat the latter to incandescence. Radiant heat from the cup as well as the hot products of combustion are used to heat the work in the chamber of which the burner itself forms a portion of the wall.

As shown in the drawing, there are sixteen of the axial passages 46 and thirty-two of the slots 42. It will be apparent, however, that a greater or smaller number of slots and passages may be formed depending upon the size of the the distribuknown to me it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims, and that in some cases certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. A distributor for use in a fluid fuel burner comprising a cylindrical head portion having a plurality ofslots extending radially inward from the periphery thereof, a part of each slot being surrounded bythe material of said head portion, a substantially cylindrical stem portion extending axially from said head portion and having a plurality of passages surrounded by the material of said stem portion, said passages extending axially from an end of said stem portion to a point adjacent to the inner end of said slots, and one of said stem or head portions being provided with an annular channel connecting with each of said slots and each of said passages whereby fuel can flow through said passages to said channel and out of said slots.

2. A distributor for a fluid fuel burner of the type in which there is provided a substantially cup shaped depression having a fuel supply opening in the base of the cup in which the distributor is received, said distributor comprising a block of refractory material substantially cylindrical in shape and. having one diameter at a ilrst end and a smaller diameter at a second end, the periphery of the rst end being provided with a plurality of radially extending slots, a part of each slot being surrounded by the material of said block, said block having an annular passage formed therein communicating with the inner end of each of said slots, the smaller diameter of said block being formed with a plurality of axial passages surrounded by the material of said block, said passagesextending from said second end to said annular-passage, and a thread extending around the surface of said smaller diameter portion of said block -by which the distributor may be threaded into the opening at the base of the cup of the burner.

3. A distributor for use in fluid fuel burners comprisingr a head having a cylindrical surface, said surface being formed with a plurality of slots extending radially inward therefrom, a part of each slot being surrounded by the material of said head, means forming an annular channel communicating with the inner ends of said slots, a cylindrical portion extending axially away from said head, said portion being provided with a plurality of passages surrounded by the material of said portion, said passages extending axially from the end thereof into communication with said channel.

ll. The combination of claim 3 in which said axially extending portion is provided with continuous threads on its outer surface by means of which said distributor can be fastened into place in a threaded support.

5. A distributor for a fluid fuel burner comprising a cylindrical head portion having an axially disposed stem projecting from one side thereof, said head having in its periphery a plurality of slots extending radially. inward and being formed around said stern with a channel communicating with the inner ends of said slots, a sleeve member received on said stem, said sleeve member having a plurality of axially extending passages therein which terminate in communication with said channel.

6. A distributor to be used in fluid fuel burners for subdividing the fuel into a plurality of streams comprising a substantially circular head portion having a peripheral surface and a stem projecting axially from one face thereof, a plurality of fins extending substantially perpendicularly from said surface and in the direction of said stem, said fins being separated from said stem to form a channel between the ilns and stem, a member received by said stem and engaging the ends of said ns, said member being provided with passages extending therethrough into communication with said channel, whereby fuel can flow through said passages to said channel and can exhaust in a plurality of streams between said fins.

'7. A distributor for fluid fuel burners comprising a substantially cylindrical body having a stem projecting axially from one face thereof, said body being formed with a plurality of radial grooves on said one face extending from the periphery thereof to Said stem, an annular member received by said stem and having an end thereof engaging said one face, said member being provided vvith a plurality of passages extending therethrough in an axial direction, and said member being provided on said end with an annular channel communicating with each of said passages.

8. A distributor for fluid fuel burners comprising an annular member having opposed ends, one of said ends being formed with a plurality of substantially radial slots extending from the periphery thereof toward the center, and being provided with an annular channel communicating with the inner ends of said slots, second annular member to engage the said one end of said first annular member, said second annular member being provided with a plurality of axially extending passages communicating with said channel, and means having a part thereof extending thrOllgh said annular members to hold the same in assembled relation.

9. The combination of claim 8 in which said second annular member is of smaller diameter than said first annular member and is provided with threads on its periphery.

10.,A distributor for use with fluid fuel burners comprising a rst annular member having opposed faces, a sleeve extending axially from one face thereof, a plurality of substantially radial fins extending from said one face of said member and extending inwardly from the periphery of said member to a point spaced from said sleeve, a second annular member having opposite ends and provided with axial passages spaced radially thereof from'the axis so that they terminate in the space between said sleeve and the inner ends of said ilns, one end of said second member being shaped to abut said fins and sleeve, and means having a portion thereof extending through said annular members to hold them in assembled relation.

EMIL BLAHA.

References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

